Bradley Barcola is due to miss the Champions League quarter-final first leg between Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool, after spraining his ankle against Chelsea
Paris Saint-Germain look set to be without Bradley Barcola for at least the opening leg of their Champions League quarter-final showdown with Liverpool. The winger twisted his right ankle during their last-16 second-leg clash against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Barcola, 23, hobbled off just before the hour mark after netting their second goal in the emphatic 3-0 victory. It was his second strike across the two fixtures.
He also broke the deadlock in Paris a week prior, inside the opening 10 minutes. The French international had found the net in four successive matches before being forced onto the sidelines injured.
Now, following two missed league outings for PSG, Barcola has returned to training. However, RMC Sport report that Barcola will not feature in the first leg against Liverpool.
Luis Enrique has since commented: "It's up to him to say when he's ready." The PSG boss elaborated: "He's lacking a little bit of confidence, and we're looking for the best conditions for the players."
Enrique also effectively ruled out Fabian Ruiz, stating: "We have to wait for the player; there's no problem. We're trying to get the players back as soon as possible. We're still focused on giving the player confidence."
The manager then explained that "Fabian hasn't trained with the group yet. He's made a lot of progress, and we're happy because he seems to be on the right track, but he still needs to do a little more."
Vitinha also weighed in on Ruiz, who has not played since mid-January with a knee injury. Warren Zaire-Emery has shifted back into midfield from right-back to cover for the Spain international.
"They are two different players who do different things," Vitinha said. "We adapt to that, but we have already shown that when someone is not there, the team takes responsibility, wins the match and responds. We have to adjust to different ways of playing."
These remarks follow a medical update issued by the club on Tuesday, which stated: "Bradley Barcola has rejoined group training and is continuing his recovery work." Regarding Ruiz, the club confirmed he "continues his individual work". The bulletin also noted that Quentin Ndjantou "continues his treatment protocol".
The 18-year-old attacker has been absent since being substituted at half-time during their French Cup fifth-round clash against Fontenay in mid-December. Ndjantou made 16 appearances in the opening half of the campaign, 11 of which came from the bench, before picking up a hamstring problem.
Slot is due to reveal Liverpool's team news at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday evening. Alexander Isak could be in contention to return after recovering from a leg break late last year.
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